


209 - The Best Ever Dad Van

by storiesaboutvan



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: Dad Van, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 19:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan
Summary: Filling the prompt “I don’t know if you’ve seen that video of a dad saying morning affirmations for his daughter to repeat, it’s a very cute video, and I was wondering if you could do a fic based on it ?”





	209 - The Best Ever Dad Van

When the phone call came through you were out to lunch with a friend and Van was across town at the studio. Margaret, the principal of your daughter's school, requested that you immediately come and collect Malachi. She'd been in "an altercation." Collecting Van, then speeding the rest of the way, you told him a million times over than you didn't know what happened. Margaret hadn't given any details.

"But is she okay?" he repeated.

"Van. I don't fucking know, okay? You're freaking me out. Just… have a fucking smoke or something. Calm down," you snapped.

He turned away but did as he was told. You watched out the corner of your eye as he sucked through a cigarette quickly. When done, he looked back at you.

"I'm sorry, babe. Just worried about her," he said, voice less panicked. You nodded.

"I know. Me too."

Almost having to jog to keep up with Van's fast and long strides, you reported to the reception desk of the school and were quickly ushered into the principal's office. On one side of the room, Malachi was sitting on a chair far too big for her. She looked tiny. Her evident sadness wasn't helping. She'd been crying, and her little hands were twisting around in her lap. It was what she did when she was uncomfortable. On the other side of the room, a boy the same age as Malachi was sitting. He was equally as uncomfortable but wasn't sad. He was angry and scared. You hardly noticed him.

Through the doorway, Van was kneeling in front of his daughter straight away.

"Daddy!" she said as she started to cry again. Her entire body fell into Van's and he picked her up and held her close. He brought her over to you and you ran your hand through her hair and down her back.

"Mali? Baby?" you whispered. She looked up. You'd never seen her so hurt.

"What the fuck happened?" Van directed at Margaret. She flinched at the swearing, or maybe it was the tone of voice.

"I think it would be best for us to wait for Hamilton's parents," she replied. You and Van both looked over at the boy. He stared at his shoes, but his face had gone a deep shade of red. "Please, take a seat."

Van sat and rocked Malachi in his lap. You leant over from your chair and held her hand. Her crying subsided and you wiped her face with a tissue. Five-year-olds should never be so sad. 

After a few minutes of horrible silence, Hamilton's parents arrived. Van didn't look up at them.

"Y/N, Ryan, this is Jack and Eloise," Margaret began. "There was an incident today at recess. It's upset Malachi a little bit, and-"

"A little bit? She was hysterical," Van cut her off. Everyone in the room looked to him. You sat up straight, ready to fight all of them.

"Yes. Well. I thought it be best if we talk through it and deal with it appropriately. Malachi and Hamilton were on the play equipment. The teacher on duty only arrived after the fact, so it's hard to determine exactly what happened, but it appears that he tried to push her off. There-"

"Wait!" you said, your hand went up in a motion meaning stop. "This kid pushed my daughter off play equipment? How far did she fall? Did she hit her head?" you asked, turning to check Malachi's head.

"No, no, Y/N. She didn't fall. She's stronger than him, as it seems," Margaret quickly explained.

"Course she is," Van whispered under his breath.

"Malachi was obviously unhappy about it, and she screamed out. That's when the teacher came over. She reported that he was trying to pull her hand away from one of the bars she was holding. Now, when we asked them what happened, neither would cooperate."

Van was biting down hard on his lip. If he applied any more pressure he was going to bleed.

"There has to be a misunderstanding. Hamilton would never-" Eloise began.

"No. Nope. Stop," you interrupted. "We aren't going to sit here and listen to his version. She's upset. The teacher saw it. Your kid tried to push her off,"

"I think the important thing is why-"

"We don't care why," Van said.

"I understand you're upset but moving forward it's important for both of the children to be able to speak," Margaret said, trying to play mediator. Everyone was quiet while they waited for someone else to go first.

"Mali, baby. What happened?" Van asked her. She looked up at him, eyelashes clumped together with tears.

"Hami said I'm a weird kid," she whispered. You wanted to flip a desk. "Weird kids can't go on the slid so he said he had to push me off like the rule goes. But I'm not a weird kid so I said no but he wouldn't let me stay."

"Okay. Thank you for telling us," he whispered back to her, kissing her head. The comfort of Van’s body near hers was helping her; it didn't go unnoticed to you that Hamilton's parents hadn't pulled him into a hug. They hadn't even gone to him at all.

"Is this true?" Jack asked, turning to his son. Hamilton just shrugged.

"Hamilton!" Eloise yelled. Everyone jumped.

"Yeah! So what?! She's a weird kid," the child yelled back, sliding off the chair and pointing across the room. Eloise stood and ripped him off the ground. You were caught between hating the kid for hurting Malachi and wanting to protect him from the coldness of his parents. Even that didn't excuse his own violence though.

You sat and listened as Margaret outlined the consequences for Hamilton. That wasn't your concern. All that mattered was that your daughter would be kept safe.

As you left the room, Eloise attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, boys will be boys. He probably just has a crush on her," she said. Van looked at you with a smirk. He kept walking. Stopping in your tracks, Eloise and Jack almost collided with you.

"Boys are not born bullies. You've made him that way. If you teach him that you show love with violence, go ahead, fuck your kid up. Just don't you ever, ever fucking let him come near my baby again. I swear to fucking God, I will burn your house down."

Yeah, okay, so you were being dramatic. You let your accent get rough and you stared hard before letting your posture relax. It had been hard to fit in with the school community. Van had the money to send Malachi to a really good school, but it came with snobby parents. They never liked either of you anyway, so what was the point in trying?

"Understand?" you asked in a sweet voice. They nodded.

Very, very dramatic.

…

As soon as you got home you climbed into bed together. Van covered Malachi with kisses as she giggled. When they were calm, and she was switching between gazing at you and Van, you asked her if she was okay.

"Yeah. I just gots scared 'cause I didn't want to fall when Hami pushed me," she said.

"It must have been really scary. You're very brave for getting through that," you told her.

"I 'membered that Daddy said I'm strong like Rock and Rock would hold on and not fall, so I didn't," she replied. Your head spun just a little. Looking up at Van, you could see how profound her words were for him. An offhanded comment made a couple of days before had saved her from falling. 

Van had been trying to put her to bed, but she clung to the dining table leg for dear life.

"Mali! Baby! You're so strong! Stronger than The Rock, yeah?" he'd said laughing.

A small thing that had obviously anchored in her brain as a true fact about herself. What a powerful thing.

After a couple of hours of cuddling in bed, you got up and started dinner. It was Malachi's choice and she wanted mac and cheese toasties. Chocolate ice cream for dessert. When it was bedtime, she didn't put up a fight.

"I'm very tired," she said matter-of-fact, letting Van pick her up. "But can I sleep with you?"

She could have asked for a pony and got it. An early night for everyone then, you got back into bed.

"Mummy?"

"Yeah, baby,"

"Hami's mummy and daddy don't love him like you love me."

There was a silence where you tried to figure out what to say. It hurt that she was even able to realise it was a thing about the world.

"No, they don't," Van replied for you. "But that don't mean he gets to treat anyone bad. Does mean that if he is nice from now on, maybe you just have to be a little bit extra good to him. But only if he's good to you, yeah?"

"Yes, Daddy."

You were glad that Van could instil forgiveness in her. That came less easily to you.

…

The next day was Saturday, so Malachi had the weekend to recover. She seemed fine, but you and Van kept a close eye on her. Come Monday morning, she was up before either of you.

"School!" she yelled, pushing open your bedroom door.

"You get her dressed. I'll make breakfast," you told Van. On your way out you ruffled Malachi's hair as she waddled past you to poke at Van's half-asleep body.

When the blueberry pancakes were ready to go, you walked through the house to find your family. Their voices were loud and audible, even from the hallway. You paused outside the bathroom.

"I didn't hear that, Mali," Van said. "Say it again,"

"I am strong!" her little voice yelled. Her sentence was punctuated with a giggle.

"I am smart," Van said.

"I am smart!" she echoed.

"I work hard and try my best,"

"I work hard 'n try my best!"

"I am beautiful," Van said. She giggled hard. "Mali! Say it!"

"I am beautiful," she whispered.

"Yeah, you are. Louder but," he told her. You peaked in. Van had her standing on the bathroom counter, looking at herself in the mirror.

"I am beautiful! Like Mummy!"

"Yes, baby! Exactly. Beautiful like Mummy. Okay. I am respectful,"

"I am respectful!"

"I'm not better than anyone,"

"I'm not better than anyyyyyyyonnnneeeee!" she called, getting into the swing of things.

"And nobody's better than me,"

"Nobody's better than me!"

"What's your name, baby?" he asked her, shaking her hips. She grinned.

"Mali McCann,"

"And what are you?"

"I'm amaaaaaa-zing!"

"Yes!"

Van pulled her off the counter and twirled her around the room. She giggled and kissed his face as soon as she was close enough. You tiptoed back down the hallway, leaving them in their moment. A few minutes later, they arrived in the kitchen all dressed for school.

"All good, baby?" you asked her. She nodded.

"I'm amazing," she said.

You looked up at Van, smiling and totally in love.

"I've got her, Y/N," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah. Yeah, you do."

Across the room and into his arms, you both watched Malachi chomp happily on the pancakes.


End file.
